Coffee, Ultimatums, and Contracts
by JaneBeck
Summary: Coffee aficionado and recently unemployed Bella Swan is aimlessly searching New York for a new job. Enter Edward Cullen, New York's bad boy business mogul and most eligible bachelor. Edward has been given 6 months to find someone to walk down the aisle with him or he loses everything he has worked for. AH
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is a repost of a story that I am going to start trying to write again. Enjoy :)**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

 **BPOV**

I am convinced that people who are able to wake up in the morning and act as a full functioning member of society have something very wrong with them. Or they have figured out a secret that I have yet had the privilege of learning.

I guess that some people may argue that my irrational aggression stems from jealousy or even a deep-rooted bias because I can barely wake up on time and find it difficult to form comprehendible sentences before I have consumed at least two cups of caffeine.

Coffee and I haven't always been best friends. Coffee dependency used to be something that I disagreed with, but the black liquid has turned me into a hypocrite and I am now a slave to its sweet aroma and magical energizing powers.

"Why good morning Bella!" Angela welcomed me as I got to the front of the line. "I assume that you want your regular?"

I weakly nodded.

Angela just smirked because she knew better than to expect a verbal answer from me until later. I have learned that being on a first name basis with all of the Starbucks' baristas comes with the territory of being a caffeine fiend. Angela, however, was a special because I knew more than just her name.

Angela and I met two years ago when I moved into the apartment above Starbucks. That is another thing about being a coffee addict- you always have to be calculating and precise when it comes to knowing where your next caffeine fix will come from. When I moved to the big apple two years ago with a dream in my pocket and my brain full of hopes and ambitions I knew, before I even looked inside my apartment, that I would live there because of its location. Yes, in retrospect I have come to the realisation that my apartment is shit and my judgment was clouded because of the smell of coffee that wafted through the floorboards. However, I chalked it up to being a life experience, living in a bad apartment and whatnot. I never got around to moving because I am too lazy and have become too comfortable with my surroundings.

Regardless of my apartment's crappy insides, I am lucky to be in the location I am. I am only a block from Central Park and in walking distance of everything that I could possibly desire; well at least I think I am.

Angela and I quickly became friends after an awkward week or two during which she thought that I had some bipolar disorder or personal vendetta towards her due to my drastically different personalities displayed before and after coffee consumption. I don't blame her at all; it takes a lot of people time to figure me out. During one of the first conversations we shared, which didn't center exclusively on coffee, we learned that we both hailed from the West Coast. On the strong foundation that "we, West Coast girls, have to stick together if we want to make something of ourselves in New York" our friendly exchanges grew into a deep friendship.

Angela had moved from California to New York with her serious financial, Wall Street type boyfriend of the time believing that he was "the one." Of course things didn't turn out quite how she imagined. As they adjusted to their new life in Manhattan, he began to have more time for his business partners than for her- especially a particular leggy blonde that he swore was "just a friend." Of course she was smart enough to see through his lies of "working late at the office" when he started coming home at one and two in the morning. She ended up leaving him one night, without an explanation, deciding that she deserved better and moved into her own place and found her current job at Starbucks.

In the middle of her life transition she met Ben Cheney. Ben Cheney was the antithesis of her ex-Wall Street dreamboat. He was a modern day hippie street artist who believed in peace, free love, and legal marijuana. He worshiped Angela in the way that she truly deserved. I think that Angela's straight-laced, conservative parents, who believed in the sanctity of the American dream, are still horrified that their little angel threw away a life of comfort and stability for love from a man who they believed to be trash, but Angela had never been happier.

My story was somewhat similar to Angela's only mine did not include a man, a real one that is, only a figment of my imagination that I had tricked myself into believing would be just around the corner waiting for me somewhere in this concrete jungle. I found myself in New York, shortly after graduating university, pursing my dream of working in publishing. The dream of living in Manhattan came into existence around my eighth birthday when I had accompanied my mom on one of her many work trips. I was a goner as soon as I saw the bright lights and the buildings that stood as tall as the clouds. Twelve years later I kissed my mom, my dad, and my rainy hometown of Forks, Washington goodbye and moved across the country. I accepted a job as a receptionist at a new and upcoming publishing house within a month of arriving. I convinced myself that I would be able to move up in the company and one day become a publisher once I got my foot in the door; climb the proverbial ladder. It only took me two years, but I was finally was forced to read the writing on the wall. I would never move up in the ranks at the company and, if I didn't do something fast, I would be stuck answering phones, making people coffee and being the errand girl forever. I quit two weeks ago. I am now unemployed and trying to figure out what I want to do next.

I had a reality check in the midst of my journey that my fantasy man was not just around the corner and that he possibly might not exist. Thankfully, I also simultaneously came to the realisation that I did not need a man to complete my New York dream. I figured out that I had no desire to play the damsel in distress and did not need a knight on a white horse to save me. I taught myself how to fix the sink when it started to leak, kill spiders, and I could take out my own damn trash.

I really did try to smile at Mike, who was working with Angela today, as he handed me my coffee, but I think it came out more like a grimace.

"If I didn't know you any better Bella, I would think that the look on your face was a sign that you don't like me, but I know it's just because you haven't had a sip of your happy pill yet," Mike laughed at me as he tried to flirt. At least I think that he was trying to flirt. It was too early in the morning for this shit. It would be just like Mike to have deluded himself into thinking that the facial expression that he was giving me was sexy. Little did Mike know that my very real dislike of him had nothing to do with my lack of coffee. He was harmless, but still annoying.

"Leave the girl alone Mike," Angela said to save me from his incessant one-sided conversation. "You know that she can't interact with anyone until she has had her caffeine fix."

I quickly escaped, still not contributing to the conversation, to my happy place- my comfy, rusty coloured armchair that sat in the corner of the coffee shop.

As soon as the bottom of my spine connected with the plush seat, my body completely relaxed. I opened my newspaper, folding it in the way I had come accustomed to and took a sip of the sweet nectar that I held in my hand.

I took a deep breath in through my nose, held it for five seconds and then allowed it to escape out of my mouth.

My thoughts were finally becoming arranged in some sort of order.

I had my coffee. I had my newspaper. I had most of my sanity. My day could now begin.

* * *

 **A/N: I love reviews like Bella loves coffee. Please show me some love and let me know what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you guys for your support and your kind words! I am sorry in advance for all of the grammatical/spelling errors. I do try my best to proofread- I swear- even if it** **doesn't seem that way!**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

 **EPOV**

"Andrew, did I or did I not tell you that I needed those numbers on my desk before four o'clock? It is now five thirty," I said angrily into phone as I glanced down at my watch. "You know that it is the opening night of Salt and I have to close this deal by the end of the day. If the documents aren't on my desk by six, don't bother showing up to work on Monday."

I finished the call before he could say anything. This was just another example of why I preferred to do everything myself. People are unreliable and apparently don't understand that when Edward Fucking Cullen gives you a deadline you better make it or you'll find yourself without a job.

The name Cullen meant something in New York and I wasn't afraid to use it to my advantage. My family consisted of my father and mother, Carlisle and Esme, and my two older brothers Emmett and Jasper. Emmett married Rosalie into the family and my little niece, Kate, arrived on the scene not too long after. Jasper recently married Alice. My bothers used to be my wingmen but now they are whipped by their old ball and chain. Our family was seen as royalty in the high society social circles of New York's finest. Being that I was the only Cullen brother still on the market and named New York's most eligible bachelor the past two years, I had a numerous amount of women clamoring to get into my bed in hopes of becoming Mrs. Edward Cullen. What all of those idealistic women don't know is that I do not plan on settling down anytime soon.

My father, Carlisle Cullen, started this company and spent his entire life, putting everything he had into Cullen Enterprises. His hard work paid off and now my brothers and I were able to bask in it. He is known in the business world as a legend for building a multi-billion dollar company before the age of 25. He groomed his three sons to be just as successful in the business world.

Carlisle retired this past year leaving me the CEO position of Cullen Enterprises. My brothers never had any desire to run the company, though they are major shareholders who continue to sit on the board. They both chose to be more involved in various other personal business ventures.

 _Speak of the devil and he shall appear._

"This has to fucking stop Edward," Carlisle reprimanded as he barged into my office throwing a tabloid on my desk. He had a furious look on his face. He unbuttoned the jacket of the tailored black designer suit he was wearing and sat across from me.

 _Hi, dad it is nice to see you too._

I glanced at the offending object that he had thrown in front of me. The cover of the tabloid had a picture of my latest conquest and me. _Tanya_ I think her name was? I hadn't seen her since that night, but this picture reminded me of her gorgeous, perky tits and her luscious ass. _Fuck_ , I was getting hard thinking about all the ways she let me take her that night. Maybe I will call her up for a repeat performance.

"I have had it with your behavior. I have turned a blind eye to it in the past thinking that it was something you would grow out of like your brothers did, but it looks as if I am going to have to intervene," he said as he shook his head. He stood and started to pace back and forth in the room as he continued his diatribe.

"It is getting out of hand. Did you know that you that your mother is being shunned by the women in her social circles and charities because they are holding it against her that you have fucked more than half of their daughters? Not that she usually cares for the opinions of those insufferable women, but it is preventing her from doing the charity work that she lives for."

I really was sorry for the position that I had put my mother in. She didn't deserve those women's contempt. Unlike most of the fake, vapid and unbearable women that filled most of the coveted spots of New York's highest society, my mother was the most compassionate, genuine woman I had ever encountered. She used her position to bring attention to overlooked charities and tried to make a difference in the community. I had the utmost respect for her.

"I didn't know that. I am sorry," I replied feebly.

"Yes, well you will have to tell that to her yourself," He told me knowing that I really did feel ashamed for doing something to hurt Esme. "Not only has this hurt your mother and our family's reputation, but it has also has hurt this company. You, as the face of Cullen Enterprises, have to demonstrate that you are more than your glutinous, self-serving lifestyle. Who is going to want to enter into business with a man who cannot even display that he can make sound choices in his personal life? Our clients are starting to doubt my decision in giving you the CEO position."

"I have been telling you the last year that something had to change, but you have ignored me. That is why I have decided that I have no choice now but to give you an ultimatum. I am demanding that you settle down and get married by the end of the year, or I will make you step down from your position-"

"You can't do that," I cut him off in a loud voice.

There is no fucking way that he could be serious. I might be sorry for how my behavior has affected Esme, but if he thought that he was going to take away everything I had worked for and my prerogative of being able to fuck a different pussy every night, than he must have lost his fucking mind.

"Lest you forget, I am still the majority shareholder of this company which makes me your boss. I am also your father; you will do well to remember those two things. I can and, mark my words, will fire you if you do not go through with this. Don't test me, Edward. You turn thirty this year; it is time that you stop acting like a child and start talking responsibility for your actions. I don't care who you choose, but this being June, gives you only 6 months to find and marry a girl. Do you understand?"

I just sullenly nodded knowing that he was right. He could fire me if he wanted. I couldn't let that happen. This job was the only thing I had ever wanted.

"Don't think of telling anyone in the family about this. I will not be made out to be the bad guy. You brought this on yourself. I will see you at the house on Sunday night for dinner. Try not to be late this week," he said with a note of finality as he turned around and walked out the door.

Well this is just fucking great. The past year Carlisle had been nagging me to keep myself out of the press. He encouraged me to stick to one girl and give monogamy a chance. I did try a couple of times, only to find out that a single girl couldn't hold my interest. Geez, most of them couldn't even string a comprehensible sentence together. How was I supposed to put up with that for more then one night?

I know I am a good-looking bastard. Add that to my wealth, reputation, and the confidence in which I conduct myself, women are defenseless when it comes to fighting off my advances. So because of this I have became a selfish fucker who self indulges himself on the women that flock me. Look where that has gotten me.

 _Fuck._

So now tonight, in addition to celebrating the opening of my new nightclub, Salt, I was expected to find a blushing bride to be? _What a fucking joke._

I pulled out my vintage bottle of Macallan 1926 whiskey from my desk. I poured myself three fingers and forced it down my throat, savoring the burn. Tonight was going to be a long night.

* * *

 **A/N: To be honest I am just writing this as I go. I have a vague idea of where I want this story to end up, but that might end up changing. If you have any suggestions or things that you want to see happen send me a message or post a review. I can't guarantee that I will write what you say, but I will take it into consideration! Thanks for reading. :)**


End file.
